


Tell me if this is real

by Asphodel_Meadow



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Queliot Week 2019, Sharing a Bed, The Newlywed Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-13 21:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19259950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asphodel_Meadow/pseuds/Asphodel_Meadow
Summary: “Eliot Waugh”, Quentin said. “Would you do me the honor to be my fake boyfriend for my childhood’s crush wedding?”“I thought you would never ask”, Eliot replied.Queliot Week Day 1 – Fake Dating/Marriage





	Tell me if this is real

Julia’s wedding was in one month. Quentin had known of this event since the preparations started almost a year ago. However, he kind of forgot about it, until he talked with his father that morning. Quentin wished he never had that conversation.

It started as usual. Ted asked about how things were going in college and Quentin shared a few practiced lies. Just the typical routine when you needed to hide your magical grad school. And then, Ted commented about the wedding.

“Julia sent your invitation to the house”. Quentin hummed; he couldn’t actually give Julia Brakebills’ direction, could he? For his part, Ted didn’t notice anything amiss and offered his help: “Do you want me to RSPV for you?”

“Yeah”, Quentin accepted immediately. “Did she include the menu?”

“Beef, chicken or vegetarian?” his father supplied the summarized version.

Julia had shared the details of each dish: number one, burgundy beef tips with mushrooms; number two, seasoned chicken confit; and number three, roasted Mediterranean vegetables with herb wild rice. She wanted to help Quentin to make his selection. But, in the end, it had confused him more.

“Chicken”, Quentin replied. That option had seemed like the safest.  “Is that all?”

“Now, for your plus one. Does Eliot also want chicken?” The question made Quentin’s brain shortcut. _What the hell?_ Why did he assume Quentin was bringing Eliot as his plus one? His father must find Q’s silence strange because he asked: “Is everything fine between you and Eliot?”

“Uhhmm, yes, we are fine”. Quentin responded sincerely. He was still confused for the direction the conversation was taking.

“Great,” His father exclaimed a bit (too) enthusiast for Q’s liking. “For a moment I thought you two had a fight or something”. Seriously, _what the hell?_ “I assume he’s also coming, right?”

“Sure, he wouldn’t miss it,” Q nodded even though his father couldn’t see him. At this point, he was working on autopilot. Luckily, he still had a bit of common sense, so Quentin asked what had been bothering since the beginning. “Uh, dad, why were you sure El would come?”

“Well, he’s your boyfriend”. His father said as matter of fact. And Quentin never had been so grateful that phone calls existed. If not, in that moment, his father would have seen the look of complete shock on Q’s face. Completely unaware of his son’s commotion, Ted asked. “Then: beef, chicken or vegetarian?”

“Beef”, he managed to answer.

Quentin’s memories were a bit fuzzy after that. He vaguely remembered his father commenting how everyone was excited to meet Quentin’s boyfriend. He tried really hard not to think about that. However, he wasn’t having any luck on that matter.

_Oh, sweet God, what did I do?_

 

After replaying the conversation in his head, Quentin had come with four plans. Well, actually it were five, but that last one involved using magic in a morally ambiguous way, so Q had to rule it out. Besides, he probably hadn’t the level of power necessary to perform the spell.

The first plan was called honesty. And it was actually pretty simple (and embarrassing). Quentin should call his father and tell him the truth. Which, yeah, Quentin wasn’t eager to do. There wasn’t anything wrong with being single. His father never had been the matching type and, usually, he didn’t mention relationships to Q. However, Quentin didn’t want to know why his father had believed he and Eliot were a thing.

The next plan wasn’t any better. Quentin could go to the wedding and make some excuse for his _boyfriend’s_ absence. But that would only raise more questions: questions Quentin wasn’t sure he could handle. And there was also _that issue_. The problem was that Quentin’s crush on Julia wasn’t as secret as he would like. Then, he going to the wedding without his current partner; well, people will talk.

Now, moving onto the next idea. Here, we entered to crazyland also known as ‘weird situations needed desperate measures’. His father knew about Eliot, but he _didn’t know_ Eliot; which meant, Q could bring anyone to play the boyfriend part. Maybe, Quentin could threaten Todd to go along. Hell, Todd’s first name was actually Eliot; it wouldn’t be a total lie. It could work, aside from the part in which nobody will buy it. Todd was a terrible liar.

And that left Quentin with only one path: asking for Eliot’s help.

 

Quentin was looking for the perfect moment to talk with Eliot. The problem was he had no idea how to bring up the issue. There was no easy way to ask someone to pretend to be your boyfriend. Quentin went to the terrace. Margo had told Q, she had seen Eliot there. And indeed, Eliot was smoking outside.

“Hey”, Eliot greeted him.

“Hey”, Quentin echoed. They were alone, this was Q’s opportunity. At least, there wouldn’t be any witnesses. “Julia’s wedding is in one month”.

“Your childhood crush, right?” Eliot intervened. See, not a secret. Quentin rolled his eyes at the comment and continued.

“My father made the RSPV for me and, uh, he asked if you were coming”. The words made Eliot stop; the cigarette almost touching his lips. Eliot tilted his head: his curiosity was palpable.

“Why would he ask that?”

Quentin took a deep breath.

“You see, it appears that my dad is under the impression that we, as in you and me, are in a relationship, one of romantic nature”.

“He thinks we are dating”, Eliot deciphered Quentin’s rambling. 

“Yeah”.

“Oh, Q”, Eliot’s tone showed enjoyment. “What did you tell him?”

“It wasn’t my fault”, Quentin rushed to defend himself. “He just assumed and when I wanted to correct him it was too late”. The last bit was a lie. Q had been too shocked to do anything. And Eliot seemed to know it, because he gave Q a dirty look.

“You better had chosen the beef for me, because I’m not eating bland chicken”.

“Hey, you said the chicken would be fine”, Quentin refuted. He had asked Eliot’s opinion on the menu and Eliot had suggested Q should pick the chicken. “Wait, that means you are coming?”

Quentin was under the impression that convincing El will be more difficult. Eliot sensed Q’s hopefulness and smiled wickedly.

“Only if you ask nicely”, Eliot teased. Quentin shook his head, amused by his friend’s antics.

“Eliot Waugh”, he said, willing to play along. “Would you do me the honor to be my fake boyfriend for my childhood’s crush wedding?”

“I thought you would never ask”, Eliot replied. He finished his cigarette and rose from his seat. “Come, we need to get our story straight”.

 

They went inside the Cottage and Eliot announced they weren’t drunk enough to have this conversation. Then, he proceeded to make cocktails for both.

“Normally, I would go for a full cover story”, Eliot said as he got comfortable on the couch. “However, since you’ve been talking about _us_ I don’t think that would work this time”.

“This time?” Quentin inquired. “How many times have you done this?”

“You would be surprised”. Eliot’s grin suggested that it would be better if Q didn’t ask.

“Is this really necessary? It’s just Julia’s wedding not an undercover mission”.

“My point exactly: this is the wedding of the girl you pinned your whole adolescence”. Quentin opened his mouth to protest, but Eliot held his hand. “And you’re taking your current boyfriend as your plus one. They’re going to watch you. People are going to ask about us. And you don’t want them to swap stories and realize something doesn’t add up, right?”

Eliot was right. Of course, he was. Quentin needed to take the whole pretending seriously or this was going to be a disaster.

“Fine, you win. Tell me what should I do?”

And so, Eliot began to work his magic. He said it was better to stick to reality and add some romance to that. This would make easier for Quentin to keep track of their lies. The story was this: Eliot and Quentin had met when Eliot was assigned to give Q a tour of the university campus. They had become good friends. And after sometime, they began to date. Until that point, it was easy, but then Eliot started to give more and more details.

“It’s too much, El, give me a break”.

“I don’t understand why you can’t remember we eat at the Italian restaurant for our first date, but you don’t have problem recalling the skating incident in London”.

“Well, maybe is because I was actually there for the skating”. Quentin replied a bit annoyed. They had gone with Margo to London to celebrate Q’s passing of the trials. On the other side, the date Eliot created was just a fantasy. Quentin didn’t understand why the topic had irritated so much. Fortunately, Eliot knew what to say to lighten the mood.

“Look at us, our first fight as a couple”.

“You’re an idiot”. After a moment, Quentin commented. “I kind of hate those couples, if they fight that much, maybe they shouldn’t be together”.

“So, Q, what kind of boyfriends are we?” Eliot enquired as he stretched out on the couch. His eyes shined as he listed the options. “I see the ‘always-fighting’ is a no-no. And the ‘high-school sweethearts’ is off the table too, but what about the ‘total-opposites’? Personally I think we can pull off the ‘party-going’. And let’s not forget everyone’s favorite: ‘the annoying-PDA’”.

“I prefer the chill couple”, Quentin dead-panned.

“Oh, you’re no fun”, Eliot said, but he was smiling.

 

It had passed two weeks since Eliot agreed to help him.  And nothing had changed between them. It’s not like Quentin was expecting something to change. Actually, he should be grateful Eliot was treating him the same and that Q’s request didn’t make their friendship awkward. It seemed Eliot had forgotten about the issue. And that’s why Eliot’s invitation took Quentin by surprise.

Well, ‘invitation’ was putting too kindly. Margo barged in Quentin’s room at eight in the morning. She selected a change of clothes and informed Q that Eliot had requested his presence in the backyard of the Cottage in 20 minutes. Quentin took a shower and went there. He wasn’t expecting to find the place decorated for a romantic evening. The table was set for two and someone had enchanted the backyard to look like it was night instead of morning.

Quentin felt so out of place. _Margo must have been mistaken_. There was no way Eliot wanted Q there when it was clear he had a date. Wait, since when Eliot did this kind of stuff? Before Quentin could make his retreat, Eliot appeared.

“Q, you’re here, come take a seat”.

“What’s this?”

“Our first date”, he replied. “You said it was easier to remember when you were actually there. Didn’t you?”

Quentin could only nod. Everything felt so surreal. No one had done something so nice for him. He had to pause and remind himself this was for their cover. (Like, yeah, Eliot had prepared Q’s favorite pasta, but it didn’t mean anything).

However, it was difficult to remember it was pretending when he and Eliot were having such a good time. (And when there wasn’t anyone in front of who pretend). Once they finished their meal, they continued talking.

“I know you vouched for chill couple, but you know we need some PDA if we want them to believe us, right?” Eliot asked after refilling Q’s glass.

“Obviously”, Quentin replied feeling oddly bold. Honestly, Eliot only needed to be his usual self. Eliot’s touchy nature contrasted with Q’s more reserved attitude.

“So, is alright if I hold your hand?”

“Totally fine”. After hearing the answer, Eliot’s hand found Quentin’s over the table.

“And what about kissing?” Eliot whispered, he glimpsed at Q’s lips. “I think it would be good to practice, you know”.

“Yeah”, he said breathlessly. “Now would be a good time”.

“No”.

“No?” His voice sounded disappointed. “I shouldn’t”, Quentin tried to take his hand, but El didn’t allow it.

“I mean, there’s other place we must go now”. Eliot squeezed Q’s hand and led him to the entrance. There, he let go and proceeded to make a spell on the door. Once it was done, he turned to Quentin and said: “You should warm up a bit”.

Quentin followed the advice and casted a spell to keep him warm. While he did this, Eliot went to pick up a quilt. Q didn’t have time to ask what was for, because Eliot was opening the door and Quentin’s face was hit with cold air. 

The first thing that Quentin noticed was the night sky: it was covered with stars. There were so many of them. For someone accustomed to the bright lights of the city, the view was incredible.

“El, this is beautiful”.

“It is”.

“Where are we?” Q asked looking around, taking into their surroundings. They were on a hill and to their right the lights of a village shone dimly.  

“New Zealand”, Eliot replied at the time he took Quentin’s hand. They walked a bit before stopping and placing the quilt on the ground. He took a seat and Quentin imitated him. “We just came out from Mt. John Observatory facilities. Brakebills also has a door for this place”.

“Why we didn’t take Brakebills’ portal?”

“It’s in the Astronomic building and I didn’t want to go there in light day”. The commentary made Quentin remember that their ‘dinner’ took place at 8:30 a.m. Eliot had set everything so they could come to the other side of the world at night.

“Well, you should keep this door. It’s great for stargazing”.

“I think”, Eliot murmured softly. “It’s also the perfect place for a first kiss”.

Quentin looked at Eliot. This was the reason why El stopped him earlier. He had planned each part of the evening. For someone who didn’t do this sort of thing, Eliot had gone to great lengths to make everything perfect.

“I think we should try, then”, Q agreed.

The last thing Q saw before closing his eyes was Eliot surrounded by a sea of stars. They leaned into each other’s space. They kissed slowly and sweetly. Eliot cupped Q’s face and stroked his cheek so tenderly it made Q ache. When they parted, both were smiling. They didn’t say anything; they just settled back on the quilt and continued observing the sky. Quentin felt like he could burst out of joy: the kiss had left him dazed.

“Is it weird I’m sleepy?” Quentin wondered out loud.

“Since you always wake at eleven on Saturdays. I think is quite normal”.

Quentin was going to take the bait, but he stopped when he observed his companion. Eliot lay down on the quilt: his gaze was locked on the sky and he had a sincere smile. Q followed his example and relaxed.

This had been the best date Quentin had in some time.

Too bad it wasn’t a real date.

And yet, nothing about _this_ (about _them_ ) had felt false.

 

After that date something did change between them. It wasn’t too evident, but it was there. Eliot had always been very tactile, so it wasn’t like he became handsy from one day to other. But now, his fingers lingered a bit more on each touch. And there was also the issue of kissing. They hadn’t done it again. Perhaps it was for the best since Quentin couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As the wedding date approached, they spend more time together. Sometimes, Eliot quizzed Quentin on their cover, other El asked about the dress code or the activities for the weekend. On one memorable occasion, Eliot demanded that Quentin made flash cards with data about the wedding’s attendants. 

“I’m planning to be a good boyfriend”, Eliot declared as Quentin wrote down the information requested.

“And that includes knowing that Aunt Jenny’s favorite book is _Pride and Prejudice_?” Quentin asked, sarcasm dripping on every word.

“Of course”, he answered seriously. “This will help me to know who would be fun to talk. Right now, Aunt Jenny is at the top of the list. I bet she has so many stories of little Q”.

Quentin sighed and continued filling the questionnaire that El handed him. Eliot was enjoying this too much. He couldn’t reproach him anything. After all, Q was also looking forward to more PDA. God, the whole pretending hadn’t actually started “yet” and Quentin was already getting confused.

 

The last days passed quickly and suddenly, Eliot and Quentin were on his way to New Jersey. Julia and James had chosen the Madison Hotel as the venue. Once they arrived to the location, they were received by the couple. Quentin hugged both of his friends and then he turned to Eliot and said:

“This is Eliot, my boyfriend”.

And so the pretense began.

Julia sent them to the reception, where they were assigned their habitation for the weekend. The room was perfect, except for one tiny detail: there was only one bed.

“I guess we don’t need to worry they didn’t buy it”, Eliot remarked as soon as he saw the bed. “Oh, look: a welcome back”.

Eliot put the luggage on the floor and went to open the bag. He ruffled through the contents until he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Quentin: it was the itinerary. Q had already memorized the thing.

The welcome drinks were at 6 that mean they had 3 hours to kill off until then. They decided to watch a movie. Eliot recommended _The Wedding Date_. “We could pick some tips”, he had said. The suggestion earned him a pillow to the face. They ended up watching the first movie of the _Lord of the Rings_. Quentin was a living audio commentary, offering trivia from time to time. They had to pause the movie, so they could shower and get ready for the event.

The saloon was almost full when they entered. That allowed them to keep a low profile.  Eliot went to the bar counter to order some drinks. He returned with a Martini in each hand. They finished their drinks and joined the crowd.

Some of Julia’s relative approached to greet Quentin and ask about how life was going. By the time they were led to the dinner room, Q had lost count of how many times he had introduced Eliot as his boyfriend. Though, that didn’t make the words lose its charm. The dinner passed without incidents and Quentin began to relax.

This was easier than Eliot made it to be.  Quentin shouldn’t have celebrated before time. He should have remembered his bad luck and how the world was bent on proving Q wrong.

At the end of the dinner, Julia announced that the activity they had prepared was ‘the newlywed game’. She invited everyone to return to the bar, since the game would be taking place there.

“Obviously, James and I would be participating”, she said. “And for the other three couples we decided to leave it to luck”. Julia showed a transparent cup filled with folded paper pieces. She took three, kept the last one and passed the rest to James.

“The first couple is: Amanda and Emily”, James said as he unfolded the paper. “The second: Donna and Joseph”.

“Our last participants are: Quentin and Eliot”.

 

Quentin was pacing in the bathroom. After their names had been announced, Q practically fled from the room. There was no way they could get out of this, not without raising suspicion about their relationship.

“Shit, shit, shit”, Quentin muttered. “We’re so screw, El”.

Eliot, who had been just watching Q’s meltdown, stepped up and stopped Quentin.

“We need to calm down”, Eliot said as he took Q by his shoulders.

“They are going to discover everything”, Quentin worried.  “Or worse they’re going to think we’re a terrible couple”. Q dreaded more the second option. If he was honest, it was because he kind of wanted to be a good match for Eliot.

“We can do this”, Eliot insisted. Quentin was impressed by Eliot’s faith in them. “You’re forgetting a vital point: we are fucking magicians”. He left that information sink in and then, he added: “I know a spell”.

“You want us to cheat”.

“I want us to have some leverage”.

Quentin thought about it. On one hand, it was wrong; on the other, Q didn’t want to lose. He didn’t care about winning, just not losing spectacularly in front of everyone.

“Fine, let’s do it”, Quentin accepted. “How does the spell work?”

“It would create a link between our minds. This way we can give each other the answers”.

“Sounds good, show me”.

Before Eliot could begin with the motions of the spell, there was a knock on the door, followed by a woman’s voice.

“Guys, Julia sent me to fetch you, let’s go”.

It was obvious she was no leaving without them. Quentin and Eliot shared a look and left the security of the bathroom. They will have to do this without relying on magic. They were on their own.

 

The place had been arranged for the game. On the center, there was a stage and two chairs. Quentin found the number a bit odd, since there were four couples on the game. They were steered to the first row and told to wait there.

“We can do it”, Eliot said as he took Quentin’s hand.

“I want to believe you, but, I don’t have any idea what kind of questions they’re going to ask”.

“It’s not going to be any too revealing”. Eliot assured him, at Q’s pointed look, he explained: “Remember we aren’t the only ones playing. I hardly think your friends will want to be left on evidence. My money is on easy questions: favorite color, first fight. Shit like that”.

“I hope you’re right”.

“Besides, it’s not just about being right or wrong”.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the others couples. Quentin greeted Donna and Joseph; they were James’ grandparents. Behind them there was a younger couple who Q didn’t recognize but assumed it was Amanda and Emily.

The dynamic was simple: each couple would be given a set of questions. The first six gave 10 points and the last two, 20 points. The twist was that each couple will take the stage individually, hence, the number of chairs. The order was the same in which they were selected: which meant that Quentin and Eliot were the last ones. This only managed to increase Q’s nerves.

Julia and James were the first to go. Eliot had been right about his assessment on the type of questions. However that didn’t meant Q would know how to respond to stuff like “Who said I love you first?” (It was James) or “Where was your worst date?” (A picnic ruined by rain).

Amanda and Emily were a bit of a disaster. They only got twenty points on the two first rounds. But they recovered with 40 on the last round. (Q would have felt a bit more of sympathy if it weren’t for the fact that he overheard Emily blabbering about how easy this was going to be since she had known Amanda since childhood). Despite the bad score, it was evident they were close. They laughed at their mistakes and shared some inside jokes. El had been right: this was about behaving like a couple.

When the next duo took the stage, Q began to enjoy the game. Donna and Joseph were the definition of true-love-exist. They were such a sweet couple. They could have a perfect score, but they failed the last question. To “Who’s the best cook?” Both write each other’s name and complimented their partner cooking skills.

Seeing Donna and Joseph eased some of Q’s tension. But the nerves returned tenfold when their names were called. When Quentin and Eliot walked up to the stage, Donna patted Q’s shoulder and wished them good luck.

Once on their places, Quentin gripped the board tightly. The first three questions were for Quentin. It started fairly stress-free. Q didn’t doubt when asked about El’s favorite movie (it was _Dirty Dancing_ ). And he thought he had right which had been the first meal Eliot had cooked for him. But it seemed he and Eliot differed on that. Eliot had written: “Tortellini in Brodo”, that was the dish he cooked for their ‘first date’. For his part, Q wrote: “Chicken Summer Rolls”, because he still remembered that time Eliot found him awake at 3:00 a.m. eating some left overs and cooked for Q.

The last question of that round made Quentin laugh. It was: “If your partner had a superhero power, what it would be?” The public was surprised when both boards read: “Telekinesis”. Now it was Eliot’s turn to answer. But, that didn’t mean Q could relax.

Eliot got right Quentin’s favorite ice cream flavor (cookies and cream) and Q’s most prized possession (the Fillory Books). However, the last question was a bit tricky.

“What is your partner most irritating habit?”

Quentin was surprised by how quickly Eliot wrote his answer. It made Q self-conscious. He knew a lot of his mannerism could be annoying for others, but he never though that Eliot could pick one so effortlessly. It should be something that bothered him so much.

The host noticed Q’s blank board and prompted him to write his reply.

“Come on; don’t tell us you can’t think of something; because your boyfriend certainly did”. Some people laughed at the observation and it also made Eliot frown.

Quentin scribbled “Rambling”, with some luck it could match. It didn’t. Eliot’s board said: “None, everything he does is charming”.  Warmth spread through Q’s chest when he read the answer.

“Someone is still in the honeymoon”, the host teased.

Now they entered to the final round. Only two questions left. And those questions were: “Who takes longer to get dressed?” (Eliot, obviously) and “When and where did you first kiss?” Quentin released the breath he was holding. They were so fucking lucky.

This time Quentin finished first. He looked at this answer: “New Zealand in summer” (nobody needed to know it had been this summer) and wondered why it was taking Eliot so long. The host asked them to turn their boards and Quentin understood Eliot’s delay. He had written: “A summer night under the starry sky of New Zealand”.

“So romantic”, the host cooed. “Let’s take a break before announcing the scores”.

They were tied on second place with James’ grandparents. Quentin definitely didn’t think about how wonderful it would be if they could be as happy as the other couple. No, thinking that would be preposterous, he and El weren’t a couple.

That little fact was easy to forget, especially when Eliot leaned and kissed Quentin in front of the clapping crowd. Yes, it was so easy for Quentin to get lost in Eliot’s kisses.

 

“Oh, Q, that was fun”. Eliot exclaimed as collapsed on the left side of the bed.

They had stayed at the bar and taken a few drinks, but nothing too strong to get drunk. When they were leaving, Amanda intercepted them and asked the story behind their first kiss. Quentin had gotten flustered while Eliot recounted the occasion (with some strategic changes, of course). Soon a small group of people had gathered around them and listened intently to Eliot’s tale.

“It was”, Quentin replied from the bathroom.

He had finished brushing his teeth and now was stalling for time. Q was feeling a bit unsure of how he should behave in this situation. He kind of wanted to offer to sleep on the couch, but he knew Eliot wouldn’t allow that. After all, there wasn’t any reason for them to not share the bed. Also, this was not the first time they sleep in close proximity. Though, this was not the same as to pass out on the floor of the living room in the Cottage.

When Quentin finally emerged from the bathroom, he found Eliot under the covers. The other man was already sleeping. Q turned out the lights. He lay down and angled his body towards Eliot, but without touching him. Thank God, Eliot was asleep and couldn’t hear how fast Quentin’s heart was beating.

Quentin closed his eyes and tried to rest. He was drawn to over analyze their interactions, but it wasn’t the best course of action. Not when they still had the wedding ahead of them. Their plan was working so well. He needed to continue, even if the whole pretending was feeling too real for Q.

 

The sound of the shower woke Quentin. He had migrated to the other side of the bed and now Quentin was hugging Eliot’s pillow. He buried his head on the soft material. Another day waited for them.

“It’s all yours”, Eliot said as he came out from the bathroom wearing a bathrobe. “Hurry up, we’re a bit delayed”.

Quentin looked at the clock on the bedside: 9:15 a.m. Breakfast ended in less than an hour. He decided for a change clothes to not lose more time, after all, he had taken a shower last night.

They arrived to the restaurant on time to have breakfast. Donna and Joseph invited to join them. Quentin felt at ease with them. Unlike others, nor Donna or Joseph asked about their relationship. Some people from last night approached to congratulate them for the game. (And Q felt guilty for how pleased he was).

 

As established on the itinerary wine tasting took place at 11:00 a.m. Quentin enjoyed this activity a lot more than the one on the previous night. This time no one was watching their every move. The fact that Eliot was totally on his element really improved Quentin’s mood.  He really liked when Eliot shared his knowledge: magic or wine, Q loved hearing Eliot’s confident voice.

On their road to the place, Eliot explained what horizontal tasting meant.  They would drink wines from the same vintage but from different wineries. He also told Quentin about the five S’s: see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor.

It turned out that Quentin’s favorite part was detecting aromas. It was incredible how many he could find. At first he thought he’ll only smell the alcohol, but it turned out Q was pretty good at this. The hostess asked them to find three fruits and three other scents. She explained about the different categories of fragrances and what caused them. Eliot’s favorite wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon for its black plum taste. For his part, Q took a liking to a Chardonnay because it was the most aromatic. Q identified syrup, peach, green apple, vanilla, and something citric. The peach was especially intense.

Between the little picnic and the travel back to the main lobby, it was almost time for the ceremony. Quentin and Eliot returned to their hotel room to get dressed for the main event. Quentin showered and was putting the suit that Margo had chosen for him when he received a text from his father announcing his arrival to the hotel.

Quentin knocked the bathroom door and asked: “El, how long are you going to take?”

“I’ll be on time, Schatz, don’t worry”.

Q rolled his eyes at the endearment, (even thought, it made him feel fuzzy, particularly since they were alone). During the wine tasting, Eliot had come up with the idea that they needed pet names. Quentin had refused, but that didn’t stop the other from using his vast language knowledge to come up with different names.

“My dad just arrived and–”

“Go”, Eliot interrupted. “I will meet you on the lobby”.

 

Quentin spotted his father easily. Ted was talking with Joseph, and Q prayed that he hadn’t said anything about last night game.

“Curly Q, there you are”. His father said as they hugged. 

“Dad is good to see you”, Q replied.

“I’ll leave you two, my wife is waiting me”, Joseph excused himself.

“So, Joseph had been telling you and Eliot are pretty popular among the guests”, Ted commented.

“You could say so” Q laughed nervously, his prayers hadn’t been heard (as usual). God, it was more difficult to lie to his father.

“Where’s Eliot?”

“He’s getting dressed”. Quentin replied absentminded.

“Oh”, Ted cleared his throat clearly uncomfortable. Quentin replayed his words looking for a clue and understood how they could be misinterpreted.

“For the wedding!” he practically yelled. “He’s, you know, styling his hair and that stuff”.

And it was exactly that moment Eliot chose to arrive.

“Mon chéri, you forgot your tie”, he draped the item over Q’s shoulder.

“Eliot”, Quentin exclaimed turning to him and then to his father. “Dad, umh”. Q looked between them unsure of whom he should introduce first. In the end, they decided for him.

“I’m Ted Coldwater”, Ted offered his hand.

“I’m Eliot, Q’s boyfriend. It’s a pleasure to meet you”. He shook Ted’s hand. It sounded so good when Eliot said the words.

“Quentin has told me about you”, his father commented and Quentin wanted to hide.

“Yeah?” Eliot asked, he was clearly interested. Quentin needed to avoid this conversation at all cost.

“Dad, have you seen Aunt Jenny?”

“No, but—”

“She’s on the bar. You should go and say hi”. Quentin took his father’s arm and dragged him to the corridor. After seeing his father go, Q turned around to find Eliot behind him.

“You can’t hide them forever”, he assured gleefully. Eliot took the tie and surrounded Q’s neck with it. He tied it efficiently; Quentin observed El’s deft fingers work its magic. After finishing, Eliot kissed Q’s forehead and whispered: “We should also join Aunt Jenny”.

 

The place was gorgeous, and yet, Quentin couldn’t say he liked it. The Conservatory, that was the name of the saloon, gave off the vibe of a greenhouse. From the ceiling were hanging flower pots. On the columns a variety of roses and lilies peeked out. The place was in the middle of a garden, but it was delimitated by metal structure with wide windows.  Q understood the concept: the view of an outdoor wedding with the commodities of a ballroom.

At his right, Eliot sighed.

“Sometimes I forget not everyone has magic”. That was it. There was no need for a dome when you could control the weather, no need for wires when you could levitate things. So many ways you could use magic to improve everything. Eliot turned to look at Quentin and continued: “Please, Q, tell me we aren’t going to get married in a monstrosity like this”.

Quentin playfully slapped Eliot’s shoulder and didn’t give a second thought to his words. He definitely didn’t think of how ‘magical’ their wedding would be (pun intended).

They took their seats on the third row on the bride’s side. After a moment, the place was full and the ceremony started. Quentin kept his attention on the bride and groom: who soon were declared wife and husband.

 

“So”, Eliot said as he passed a Metropolitan to Quentin. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here and not there?” He pointed in the direction of where the bridal party had left. It was the cocktail hour where guest mingled while the newlywed took photographs.

“It’s complicated”.

“I do complicate better than anyone”. Eliot took a sip of his drink and commanded: “Talk”.

Quentin wanted to be annoyed at Eliot’s insistence, but he couldn’t. He knew if he refused again, El would drop the issue. For all of his forwardness, Eliot would never pressure him. However, Q could use a second opinion.

“Before Julia and James got together, I confessed my feelings to her”, Quentin started, suddenly his glass looked very interesting. He played with the lemon slice as he carried on: “She rejected me, they started dating and I got admitted to Brakebills”.

“You fell out”, Eliot concluded.

“Kinda, I, well, Brakebills doesn’t have the best reception. And, yeah, I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole magic thing to call. God, I was a dick. It was my fault”.

“It takes two to tango, Q”.

“That’s the other thing”. Quentin laughed humorously. “When we did talk, she thought I was still upset about her rejection. I couldn’t exactly tell her about Brakebills, so. I tried to explain there were other things, but she didn’t believe me. After that, it was a bit awkward”.

They stayed in silence for a moment. Eliot finished his drink before speaking.

“Well, how I see it. You still care about each other. It’s not too late to rekindle your friendship”. Quentin smiled shyly. He loved when El showed this side of him. As if sensing the serious mood, Eliot jested: “Besides, now that you have a handsome boyfriend, she can’t think you’re into her”.

 

Quentin emptied his second drink (“A Sweetheart for my sweetheart”, Eliot had said) before approaching to the bridal party. He already was regretting the decision. However, he needed to do this now.

“Hey, Jules”, he caught her attention. “Congratulations”. There was a split second in which he believed that perhaps he had waited too long. But then she hugged him and his doubts vanished.

“I missed you”, she whispered.

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t”, she cut him. “We both were at fault. I was a bit self-centered thinking it had to be about me. Now, I realize you were sincere”. She stole a glance towards Eliot. _Yeah, nothing to get over your crush on your best friend like crushing on your new bestie._ Quentin thought as he smiled. God, he really had missed Jules.

“I’m so happy for you”, Quentin congratulated her again.

“And I for you. He seems charming”.

“He is”, Quentin assured.

“Come, let’s take some photos”. She took his arm and was met with a bit of resistance. He moved his head in the direction were Eliot was talking with Aunt Jenny. Julia’s smile only got bigger. “Q, sooner or later your boyfriend has to know your embarrassing childhood stories”.

“Well, I was expecting to be later”, he confessed.

“Look at the bright side, he already knows about Fillory and he’s still around”. 

 

Their table was close to the dance floor. (“Oh, a VIP table. I told you, she still liked you”, Eliot had commented).  Quentin recognized two persons: Harry and Louise, they were Julia’s cousins.  The other two: Marlene and Betty were Julia’s college friends. Everyone was accompanied by their respective partner (and that included him).

Quentin talked with Harry, while Eliot did the same with Marlene. By the time the food was served, Eliot had Julia’s friends around his little finger. Q couldn’t blame them, it was hard to resist to El’s magnetism. For his part, Q had caught up with Harry.

To the rhythm of “Just the way you are” Julia and James danced for the first time as a married couple. After that, the dance floor was open for everyone.  Soon, Quentin found himself in the middle of the crowd with Julia.  They danced a few songs, until Julia declared she needed a break. As Q made his way to the table, he could see one of the bridesmaids talking to Eliot.

“Oh, come on”, the girl said as she grabbed Eliot’s arm.

“I told you, I’m already taken”. Eliot replied distantly. He peeled off her fingers. Quentin could tell, just by hearing El’s tone that the other was trying to be civil.

Now that Quentin was closer to the table, he recognized the bridesmaid. It was Mindy, she was Julia’s cousin. The few times that Quentin had met her, she had been rude: making feel him inadequate for being a ‘bookworm’.  God, Q didn’t know how Mindy managed to be a bridesmaid, when he knew Julia barely stand her.

“Just one dance”. She insisted, leaning in Eliot’s personal space.

“Look, I know what you’re playing and it’s not going to work”.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m very happy being Q’s boyfriend”.

Before Mindy could say anything else, Quentin stood behind Eliot’s chair and draped his arms around El’s shoulders.

“Everything alright, sweetheart?”

“Yes”, Eliot replied. To the man’s credit, he didn’t seem surprised by Q’s sudden appearance or by the endearment. Instead, he put his hands over Q’s, as it were the most natural action. “She was just leaving”.

“So, it’s true”, Mindy said eyeing their joined hands. “You’re dating Quentin”. She lifted her chin and added: “I thought you had better taste”.

“Oh, honey”, Eliot’s voice was dripping sarcasm. “I have good taste that’s why I’m with him and not you”.  Mindy’s face was priceless. She didn’t have time to make a riposte, because Eliot was rising from his seat. He turned his attention to Quentin. “Let’s dance”.

Quentin let himself be dragged to the center of the dance floor. As they made their way, a slow song was beginning. The first notes of “Can’t help falling in love” filled the place. Eliot touched Q’s waist and looked him in the eye. _Can I lead?_ Quentin stepped closer and put his hands on El’s shoulders. _You can_. They moved to the beat of the melody for a moment and then, Eliot asked:

“Is she still looking at us?”

Q caught a glimpse of her as they swayed. Mindy was still at their table and if looks could kill, he would be dead. He didn’t understand what her problem was. Eliot was his date. Did Eliot’s rejection affect her so much? Quentin could relate to that, though their situations were completely different. Mindy certainly didn’t have an embarrassing crush on El.

“Yeah”, he replied.

“Good”. Eliot leaned until his mouth was beside Q’s ear. He whispered: “May I kiss you?”

Quentin could feel his heart skip a beat. He nodded and tilted is face up. Eliot met him half way. They kissed at the same time the song reached its peak. _Darling, so it goes some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can’t help falling in love with you_.

Were all fake kisses so breathe taking? Quentin wondered.  Funnily, neither of them looked back at the table to see if their little show had the desired effect.

 

Quentin woke up with his arms around Eliot. Quickly, he recounted last night events. He remembered the cake cutting and the DJ announcing the last dance. After that, he and Eliot returned to their room. Like the night before they got into the bed. Did Q hug Eliot while they were sleeping? No, it wasn’t that. Actually, they had fall sleep on that position, (more or less).

“I know you’re a cuddler”, Eliot had commented off-handy, when Q turned off the lights. “I don’t mind”, he added in the darkness.  And, apparently, that was the only thing Quentin needed to shuffle a bit closer: he put his arm around Eliot’s waist and rest his forehead on El’s nape.

_God, didn’t Q have any self-control left?_ He probably should let go of Eliot before the other woke. Eliot shifted and Q realized it was too late to save some dignity.

“What hour is it?” Eliot asked sleepily. He lifted enough to look at the clock and then he returned to his position. “It’s early, let’s sleep a bit more”.

Quentin tried to not read too much in Eliot’s actions. The man was clearly tired after last night party. Apart from dancing with Q, he had shared a piece with Donna and Julia (and even Marlene). Yeah, El was tired. He just wanted to sleep some more, the fact that he were in Q’s arms wasn’t a factor on his decision.

One and a half hour later they were on the restaurant. Again they shared table with Donna and Joseph. This time Q’s father and Aunt Jenny were also there. Though, the last two had almost finished by the time the couple arrived.

“I’m glad for you, son”, Ted said when he was leaving. Quentin felt his chest tighten. “One day is not enough time to get to know someone, but, I can see you two are clearly in love”. Quentin fought down the urge to hide and simply smiled.

“I’m lucky to have met Eliot”, he said truthfully.

“I’m the lucky one for having you in my life, amore mio”, Eliot replied.

“Can we conclude both of you are lucky?” Aunt Jenny intervened making everyone laugh. “Oh my, they were going to get into an ‘I love you more’ contest”.

Quentin accompanied his father to the reception. They hugged and Ted made Quentin promise he and Eliot would visit soon. Before he could return to the restaurant, Q was intercepted by Julia. She and James would be leaving in any moment and she wanted to say goodbye. Once more, Q was grateful for having her friendship back. “Don’t be a stranger”, Julia said after kissing his cheek. And this time, Q vowed to find a way to keep in touch with her.

When Quentin returned, he found them in deep conversation.

“That girl needs a reality call. I can’t believe she’s still behaving like that”. Donna remarked.

“She was… very rude”, Eliot supplied. The pause made the women smile, like they knew exactly what Eliot wanted to point out.

“Mindy had always been jealous of Quentin”, Aunt Jenny stated. Quentin sighed; this was the type of thing she always told to make him feel better.

_She’s jealous because you’re smarter._ Nobody dared to say the truth that Mindy was just expressing what everyone thought.  _You’re childish for still believing in fairytales_. It had hurt to hear her mocking words. However, joke was on her, because now Quentin knew magic was real. Perhaps, Fillory wasn’t, but that didn’t make it less important to him. Well, it seemed in some ways Quentin was still that shy boy who looked for ways to escape.

“I could tell that”, Eliot agreed at the same time Quentin sat next to him.

“What are you talking about?” Q inquired innocently.

“Aunt Jenny was telling me more about our dearest friend Mindy”. He pronounced the name as it burned him. “And speaking of the devil”. Mindy entered to the room in that moment.

“Why is she coming to us?” Quentin asked starting to panic.

In effect, Mindy was walking straight to their table. She was wearing a white dress. Suddenly, she being a bridesmaid made more sense. Mindy was the kind of person to wear white to a wedding. She stopped in front of them and zeroed her attention on Eliot.

“I wanted to apologize for my forwardness last night. Perhaps we could start over”.  Mindy’s words made Donna scoff. Eliot shook his head like he couldn’t believe Mindy’s nerve. For his part, Quentin wanted to believe that Mindy had good intentions.

“Look, Mary”, Eliot said.

“Mindy”, she corrected him.

“Whatever”, he snapped clearly annoyed. Quentin interlaced their hands under the table and gave him a little squish. Eliot sighed. “Apology accepted. If you don’t mind, we want to continue our breakfast in peace”.

Mindy stayed quiet for a moment, she scrutinized Eliot’s face. Quentin thought that she was going to say something else, but she simply turned on her heels and went to other table.

“You’re officially part of the family”, Aunt Jenny said clapping El’s back. “Now, I can tell you about the time curly Q made his first magic trick”.

Quentin groaned and let his head fall into the table. He had thought they could skip this part. However, as Aunt Jenny retold some of Q’s favorite childhood memories and Eliot listen to each totally enthralled, Quentin realized this was far better than he imagined.

 

When Quentin least expected they were already on their way home. Eliot suggested taking a taxi to get away enough to open a portal to Brakebills without being suspicious. Though, their driver did give them a weird look when they asked to be left on the Loantaka Park.

“They loved you”, Quentin pointed out as they wandered looking for a secluded area in which they could make the spell.

“They were very likable persons too”, he replied smiling. “Except for Mary”.

Quentin rolled his eyes at Eliot’s stubbornness to keep ‘forgetting’ her name. The mention of Mindy, reminded Quentin of last night encounter and Eliot’s answer.

_I’m very happy being Q’s boyfriend._

Quentin was aware that Eliot was playing the part. And yet, he couldn’t help to think that maybe, Q was not the only one who caught feelings. Well, more like he acknowledged them. The last days had been great. And Eliot had been so earnest and open in his affection that Q could only melt.

“I found a place”, Eliot said. “Come, we’ll be in Brakebills in the blink of an eye”.

Their pretending had reached its final. If Q didn’t want this to end, he must do something. Quentin took a deep breath. He felt his hands began to sweat and wiped them on his jeans.

“Wait”, Q took Eliot’s wrist to stop him from casting.

“What’s the matter?”

“I know this sound dumb, but, uhm, us, think about it we work and we know it ‘cause we lived it. Who gets that kind of proof of concept?”

Eliot got the gist of Quentin’s speech. There was a spark in their eyes, but as soon it appeared, he shook his head.

“I… We’ve been pretending for three days. I get that maybe you aren’t thinking clearly”.

“I am”, Q assured him. “I wasn’t pretending. What about you?” When Eliot didn’t answer, Q tried to put all his cards on the table. “I’m just saying, what if we gave it a shot? I mean, would that be that crazy?”

 “No”.

The simply syllable made Quentin wither. Perhaps his perception had been wrong. He only had seen what he wanted.

“Uhm, I-“. He ducked his head.

“No, no, I didn’t–”, Eliot’s tone grew frustrated. “God, you made it seem so easy, Q”. Eliot straightened himself to his full height and with a more steady voice he continued: “It wouldn’t be crazy at all. Everything I said and did: it was true”.

“Everything?” Q asked rather hopeful. His hands reached for Eliot and landed on his shoulders.

“Everything”.

They kissed under the trees with the sunlight filtering through the leaves. This time Quentin let himself be consumed by Eliot. He poured all of his emotions and in return he received Eliot feelings. Finally, they were being honest with each other, but mostly with themselves.

“As much as I love to continue kissing you”, Eliot said when they parted. “We need to return”.

And yet, Eliot didn’t protest when Quentin dragged him into another kiss.


End file.
